Dumping mechanism for automobile trucks



J. Dl RAENNE. DUNIPING MECHANISM FOR AUTOMOBILE TRUCKS.

2 SHEETS-SHEELI.

d. D. Henne.

J. D. RENNE. DUMPING MECHANISM FH AUTOMOBILE TRUCKS.l APPLICM'ION FILEDSEPT. 18. 1919. E Ay., Patented 0013.31, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented @et fill, i922.

JAMES D. RENNE, UF KEMBALL, NEBRASKA- DUMPING MECHANXSM FOR AUTOMOBILETRUCKS.

Application iled4 September 18, 1919. Serial No. 324,323.

Be it known that l, lm/ins l). Renna, a `citizen ofthe `United States,and a resident of Kimball, in the county of Kimball and State ofNebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in DumpingMechanism for Automobile Trucks, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to dumping mech anism for use with motor vehiclesnot provided in themselves with devices for facilitating the dumping orunloading thereof, and is particularly adapted for use in mills,elevators and the like, for unloadingr grain from the class of motortrucks which are now largely used instead of horse-drawn vehiclesfortransporting.grain from farms to market. lt'is the object of myinvention to provide a dumping mechanism of they general characterindicated, wherein nthe power for the operation of the mechanism ma)v bederived from the motor-vehicle itself, and to provide suitablecontrolling means by' which the dumping operation may be. readily andsafely etfected.

ln the accompanying drawings `Fig. 1 is a i longitudinal verticalsectional view, showing in partial elevation a dumping mechanismembodying my invention` Fig. 2 is a detail vertical section 4on the line2-2 of Fig. 4, Fig. 3 is a detail horizontal section on the line 3 3 ofFig. 1, Fig. -l is a vertical transverse section on the line -l--l ofFig. l` Figs. 5 and G are detail transverse vertical sections on thelines :-f and 6--6, respectively, of

Fig. l. and lfig. 7 is a detail vertical section on the line 7-7 of Fig.4.

ln carrying out my invention the mechanisni is usually arranged 1n thefloor of a platform or elevated driveway 8, having therein a door 9openingto a dump-pit or bin 1l). to which the grain or other material isto be delivered `from the vehicle driven onto the platform. Adjacent tothe pit-door 9 the platform or floor. has two laterally spacedlongitudinal openings therein. in which are disposed tread-mill 'devicescomprising horizontal longitudinally spaced shafts 11 and 12 carryingpairs of sprocketwheels 13 around which arc extended endless chains 1B",said chains carrying tread-blocks 14 arranged so that at the upper sidesofthe devices said blocks e." end through the openings in the floor,with their upper surfaces lsubstantially flush withv the floor, as shownin Figs. l, 5 and (5. v'Lhe upper horizontally extending portions Aofthe chains 13 are supported by a plurality of rollers l5A which arearranged beneath the same and supported by bearing-members 16, was shownin Figs. l andl. The shaft ll is connected. with both of the tread-millter being arranged so as to receive upon'the upper portions thereof thedrive-wheels D ot' a motor-truck when the rear end of the truck-body Bis in proper position to discharge the load thereof into the dump-pit.(ln the central portion of the shaft l1 is a devices, thelatsprocket-wheel 1i' from which a chain 18 is extended forwardly anddownwardly to a. sprocket-wheel 19. thelatter being mounted revolublyupon. a shaft 20 from which are driven the devicesvfor elevating thefront portion of the motor-truck. i

The elevatingdevices comprise a pair of vertically movable columns 21which are guided between pairs of rollers 22, the latter being carriedby bearing-brackets 23 mounted upon pairs of posts" 3l arranged beneaththe platform 8. as shown. llachcolunin 2l carries a horizontallongitudinally extend-l ing head-plate of which the end-portions aresupported b v diagonal braces 26, and at the sides ot' said head-platesare vertical flanges in which are journaled the ends of a series oltransversely extending rollers 27. The columns are so ar 'anged. bothtransversel v,a1id longitudinally of theplatform, that the front wheelsS of the motor-truck will rest upon the rollers 27 when the rear wheelsl) are in position upon the tread-mill devices. the length ot' thehead-plates being made such as'to provide for the usual variation in thelength of wheel-base of different vehicles. (ln cach head-plate 2:3,beneath the rollers 2T and between the side-flanges of the plate. thereis arranged a stop-plate 28 having at the cnds thereof cleats 2D whichextend down at the ends of the head-plate. When the columns are in thelowered position thereof said cleats rest upon transverse bcauiscltl.which hold the stop-plate up against thc lower sides of thc rollers Q7,tl|crcb \v lserving as a brake to prevent rotation of the rollers. Whenthe columns are raised. the stop-plates drop' out of engagement with therollers and leave the saine free to revolve.

Each of the columns 21 is providedat one side with a rack 31 havingteeth meshing with the teeth of pinions 32 carried at the lends of theshaft20. On the intermediate portion of' said shaft a clutch-collar 33is mounted slidably, said collar being connected with Athe shaft bymeans of a spline, so as to be non-rotatable thereon. The hub of thesprocket-wheel 19 is provided withclutch-jaws adapted to mterengage withsimilar jaws on the collar ,33, so that, by moving the collar'toward'the wheelto engage the Vclutch-jaws, `the wheel is connectedwith the shaft so as to drive the same.v

Movement of the clutch-collar 33 is controlled by a forked lever 34,arranged' as shown in Fig. 4, the lower end of said clutch-lever beingconnected by a horizontal laterally extending rod- 35 lwith the lowerend of a hand-lever 36, of which the upper end extends upthrough a slotin the platform 8.

Adjoining 'the side of 'the sprocket-wheel 19 opposite ,theclutch-collar, a ratchetwheel 37 is keyed to the shaft 20,l and alshaft'43. Said shaft 43 extends out latershown in Fig. 4. Upward suchas to from ally as shown in Fig. 4, and is provided at the 'end with ahand-lever 44 which extends' upwardly through a slot in the platform S.,A sprin 45 is connected with the lever 44. to move the same-in adirection tighten the brake-band and thereby Iprevent rotation ofthedrum.

etween the lower portions of the columns 21 there is a transverselyextending rod 46. On the pivot-Shaft 47 of the clutch-lever 34 there issecured an arm -48 which is so` arranged'as to be engaged by said rod 46when the columns 21 are raised to the position movement of the engagedend of said arm 48A movesA the clutch-collar 33 so as to disengage thesame the sprocket-wheel 19, thus automatically stopping the raisingofthe columns when the same reach their maximum desir-'ed elevation.

The operation of the mechanism as a whole is'as follows: The columns 21being Vin. lowered position, With the roller-s 27 on the head-platessubstantially flush with the surface of the platform, the motor-truck isdriven into place so that the front wheels S rest upon the head-platerollers, and the rear wheels D rest upon the tread-mill blocks 14.

and ten s 'of the brake-drum .to

`collar 33 with said sprocket-wheel 19, whereupon the shaft 20 is drivenin the proper direction for elevating the columns and raislng the frontportion of the truck to incline the bodythereof to the dumping positionshown in Fig. 1. During the raising of the columns the ratchet-wheel 37moves in the direction'indicated in Fig. 7, thus passing freely beneaththe'pawls 40, and allowing the brake-drum .39 to remain stationary. Theupward movement of the' columns may bestcpped at any time by movlng thehandlever 36 to disengage the clutch-collar from the sprocket-wheel 19,and at the limit of upward movement the clutch is'thrown outautomatically by the engagement of 'the rod 46 I withthe arm 48. Whenthe clutch is thrown out, either by. hand or ward movement of ed bythebrake-drum, the saine bein vheld stationary hy'lthe engagement of therakeband therewith, thebrake-band being heldj tight by the spring 45,and the 'pawls' 40 'en gaging the ratchet-wheel 37 to prevent the,v l

reverse rotation of the shaft 20.` When it is desired to lower thetruckto the horizontal. position, thebrake-lever 44'is moved inopposition to the spring45, tov loosen' the brake-band suiiiciently topermit rotation Wheel and drive-sha 20. The columns are ether with th'eratchet,

automatically, downthe columns is preventthus permitted to descend, at acontrolled rate, being actuated' by their own weight and that of theportion of the motor-truck which is supported thereon. After the columnshave reached their normal lowered position, the chains 49 aredisconnected from the truck-body, 4

umn head-plates, enable the mechanism to and the vehicle driven`onacross1 the platform. The rollers 27, upon the colbe used with motor-truckshaving four-wheel drive, in which case the front vwheels of thev truckmerely turn idly, upon which theyrest, while the rear wheels serve, asbeforel` to drive the tread-mill device and'elevate the front portion ofthe truck to the dumping position. The stopspinning the rollers plate28,by preventing rotation of the rollers 27 when in the lowered position,enable the truck to be driven voverthe rollers without causing loss oftraction when the drivey wheels D engage the same. The normal frictionalresistance to the movement of the tread-mill devices is sufficient toprevent movement 'thereof when driving the truck incerte into placethereon, and before preventing forward movement of the truck by theattachment thereto `of the anchor-chains a9.

Now, having described my invention, what l claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. fr dumping mechanism for motor vehicles, comprising verticallymovable members arranged to support the front portion of the vehicle,tread-mill devices arranged to be engaged by the drive-wheels of thevehicle,

' connecting vdriving means between the treadmill devices and thevertically movable mem'- bers whereby the former may actuate the rlatter to elevate the same and the portion of the vehicle supportedthereon, said connecting driving means including a clutch, and' manuallyactuated means for controlling said clutch. j

2. A dumping mechanism for motor vehicles, comprising vertically movablemembers arranged to support the front portion of the vehicle, tread-milldevices arranged to be engaged by the drive-wheels of the vehicle,connecting driving means between the t'readmill devices and thevertically movable members whereby the former may actuate the latter toelevate the same and the portion of the vehicle supported thereon, andbraking means for controlling descent of the vertically movable members.

3. 'du-mping mechanism for motor vehicles, comprising vertically movablemembers arranged to support the front portion of the vehicle, tread-milldevices arranged to be' engaged by the drive-Wheels of the vehicle,connecting driving means between the treadmill devices and thevertically movable members whereby the former may actuate the latter toelevate the same and the portion of the vehicle supported thereon, saidconnecting driving means including a clutch, and means for automaticallythrowing out said clutch at a limit of elevation'of the verticallymovable members.

4. A dumping mechanism for motor vehicles, comprising vertically movablemembers arranged to supportthe front portion of the vehicle, tread-mill'devices arranged to be engaged by the drive-wheels ot the vehicle,connecting driving means between the treadmill devices and thevertically movable members whereby the former may actuate the latter toelevate the same and the portion of the vehicle supported thereon, abrake member, means normally retarding movement thereof, and meansoperatively connecting saidbrake member withthe vertically movablemembers to resist only downward movement thereof.

5. A dumping mechanism for motor vehicles, comprising vertically movablemembers arranged to support the front wheels of the vehicle, tread-millrdevices arranged to be engaged by the drive-wheels of the vehicle,connecting driving means between the treadmill devices and thevertically movable members'whereby the former may actuate the latter toelevate the same and the portion of the vehicle supported thereon, saidconnecting driving vmeans `including a clutch, means for automaticallythrowing outsaid clutch to stop elevating of the vertically movablemembers at a determined limit, a brake device operatively connected withthe vertically movable members to resist descent 6. ln a mechanism ofthe class herein described, a vertically'movable supporting devicehaving a plurality of rollers adapted for engagement with wheels ot' thevehicle, members engageable with said rollers to retard rotationthereof, and means for pressing said rotation-retarding members againstthe rollers when the supporting device is in normal lowered positiononly.

7. ln an appara-tus of the class described, a platform for receiving theforward wheels of a motor driven vehicle, means for elevating saidplatform, and means operative by the motor of the vehicle for actuatingthe elevating means of said platform to tilt the vehicle into loaddischarging osition- 8. ln an apparatus of the crlass described, aplatform for receiving the forward wheels of a motor driven vehicle,rack bars, means for coupling said rack-bars to the platform, a shaftcarrying pinions engaging said racks, means for causing the rotation ofsaid shaft, and means operative by the motor of the vehicle foractuating the shaft rotating means to cause the rack-bars to move thevehicle into load discharging position.

9. ln an apparatus of the ,class described, a platform for receiving theforward wheels of a motor driven vehicle, means for elevating saidplatform, means operative by the vmotor of the vehicle for actuating theplat'- su ported thereby.

p Jai/ms n. nerim.

